Choices
by waterflower20
Summary: The sequel to When In Rio. Five years after leaving Rio, Hermione's past comes back to haunt her. Thanks to Ria Binger for being an amazing beta.


**_Disclaimer:_** I own nothing but the plot and the OCs I created specifically for this fic.

**A/N: **So here it is... The long anticipated sequel to **When In Rio**. After more than a year the first chapter is finally, FINALLY posted!

I'm sorry I didn't post it yesterday like I promised but turns out birthdays are busy days.

Just some things you need to know about the story.

According to my notes it's about 28 chapters long.

It starts five years after the events of **When In Rio **(if you recall everything took place around April of 2006 in Rio de Janeiro where Edward was tracking Victoria and Hermione was holidaying with her parents); specifically April 25th, St Marcus' Day. Or to be more precise about a month or so before then but the real action starts then.

The rating is a strong M and yes that means sex... But all explicit scenes will be censored before posting here. When the time comes you'll be able to find the uncensored chapters in my Live Journal account.

Unfortunately the Prologue and the first chapter focus on Hermione and Edward's lives after Brazil respectively. No actual meeting takes place until the third or fourth chapter; I'm not sure yet.

**_Choices... _**

**_Prologue..._**

_"It's okay, you are safe."_

_"That was unexpected."_

_Gold, simmering eyes._

_"Will you calm down?"_

_Soft, melodic laughter._

_"A celebrity, huh? Should I ask for an autograph?"_

_ A cheeky and crooked smile that melted her insides._

_"Goodnight," a husky whisper._

_A searing, burning kiss that drove all reason from her mind and rendered her speechless._

_The feel of his cold body pressing her against the wall of an elevator._

_Strong, cold fingers tracing every inch of her body._

_An icy, moist tongue touching her most intimate parts..._

_Their bodies moving together, in and out, in and out, the headboard bumping against the wall with each powerful thrust and the pleasure coiling low in her belly, threatening her very sanity._

_"OH GOD!"_

Hermione bolted upright on her bed, her skin clammy with sweat and her whole body thrumming with arousal. Her knickers were practically soaked through and she swore; she stood up and went to retrieve a new pair, her breathe harsh and panting.

She hadn't had that particular dream in years.

It was a long forgotten memory or so she pretended it to be. Truth was she had never really forgotten the bronze haired vampire who stole her heart and broke it into tiny little pieces.

And although she felt she should regret her decision to gift him her virginity, the most precious thing a woman can give her beloved, Hermione never regretted the night they spent together.

Yes as she had told him, spat at him really, she regretted ever meeting and loving him; but she cherished the memory of their night together.

The night she became a woman in the arms of a man she loved.

The next morning might have been one of the worse in her young life but she had worse.

The months after for example were a nightmare.

Apparently vampiric semen was quite potent despite the small insignificant fact Edward was technically speaking _dead._

It started just three days after her return at Hogwarts'; she felt nauseated when she caught a whiff of fish and coffee and every morning she spent at least half an hour hugging the toilet and puking. For the first time in her life she had trouble getting up in the morning and had crying fits unexpectedly. Neville learned the hard way not to joke about her weight.

Ginny joked about her being pregnant, the ginger the only one who knew Hermione's amorous week with the century old vampire. Although sister to Ron Ginny knew he and Hermione would never work out. They were just too different.

Hermione had refuted her claims, stating it was not possible for the symptoms to manifest so early. For Merlin's sake there hadn't even been a full week since she had slept with him!

Unfortunately for her, she only got worse and Hermione was freaked a week later when she realised her normally flat stomach had a small but distinctive bump.

Madame Pomfrey was shocked to say the least when a distraught Head Girl arrived in tears, Ginny Weasley by her side with a grim expression.

The medi-witch confirmed the pregnancy and demanded an explanation when the tests showed the unnatural growth of the foetus and her scans turned unsuccessful. Her womb was coated in a diamond hard sustenance that she later learned was vampire skin. Apparently she was carrying a half vampire half human baby.

That day she had her first fainting spell.

Of course the headmistress was notified and Hermione was forced to admit her fling with Edward Cullen.

To her dismay Madame Pomfrey refused to treat her; the elderly matron had no experience with such pregnancies. Hermione and the baby needed specialized care.

By the nurse's calculations the foetus would be fully developed within three months.

Again her magical blood slowed the process; according to the Healer who took over her care, if she was a mere Muggle, the baby would be fully developed within a month.

Things got even worse when the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures was alerted of her condition and expressed their displeasure on her breaking the law. A few of the still fanatical pure bloods in the Ministry tried to get her prosecuted for fraternizing with an immortal in her quest for eternal life and absolute power.

Hermione agreed to be subjected to Legilimency and take Veritaserum to convince them it was never her intention to become a vampire.

They were forced to drop the charges but she was still under close observation and scrutiny. Rita Skeeter had extracted her revenge on publishing every minuscule detail of the procedure, and subtly questioning if her child was going to be a danger to the wizarding world. It was bound to be magically powerful and if rumours were correct she or he would be immortal. Would they allow it to live?

Hermione knew she would have to fight for her baby's chance to life and was ready to do so. She had her friends and family with her -Ron admittedly was hurt by her choice to have a relationship with another but he was still her friend and loved her dearly- and a good portion of the wizarding population supported her.

She had underestimated the power of hatred though and she had come to regret it ever since.

The day after she finished her NEWTs and just a few days till her due date, Ginny had managed to convince her to join her at Hogsmeade. Parvati, Lavender, Padma and Luna would also join the duo and she apprehensively agreed. She had been feeling under the weather the previous days -exams stress- and her healer had insisted she take it easy and relax.

A surprise attack from the rogue Death Eaters wrecked havoc to the village; a curse hit her in the back and Hermione found herself lying on her side, her hands protectively clutching her abdomen as she screamed in mind blowing pain. No one ever found out if she was the real target or she just was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Rodolphus Lestrange had managed to hold her under the Cruciatus for more than three minutes and when he was taken down by an enraged Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley, she was profoundly bleeding between her thighs and agonizing contractions caused her to scream herself raw.

It took a team of highly skilled Healers and a magical creature expert specialised in vampires to save her life. Her baby didn't make it. The curse had caused the placenta to detach, the baby slowly suffocated trying to chew its way out of her but her magic had attacked it, leaving her slowly bleeding to death.

If it wasn't for the collaboration of Muggle technology and magic Hermione would have died. In a stroke of luck -the Healers words-, the baby's venom caused her injuries to heal but the healing team was quick to extract the poison from her system before she was turned.

It was no consolation to know her baby had saved her life when the cost was so great. She cried over her baby girl's limp body, her hand softly caressing the soft auburn hair, refusing to allow anyone to take it from her. It was the first time she felt real hatred and she asked Harry to find Rodolphus. It was the first time she asked her best friend to show no mercy. He did as she asked. Harry used all his influence and power to assure both LeStranges got the Dementor's Kiss.

Only then -three months after her daughter's funeral- Hermione started mourning her loss. She even agreed to visit a mind healer and it really helped her.

Every Sunday she visited the cemetery near her parents' house, telling her Rose her news and leaving her baby's namesake, white roses on her tombstone.

If she didn't have her friends and family Hermione wasn't sure she would have make it.

Despite her tragedy she found herself growing stronger and start searching for something to help her move on, take her mind of the last months' events. So she got a job.

The Ministry Departments and various private employers were fighting over the brilliant bookworm -having scored the highest marks in half a century gave her quite an advantage- but she chose to join the Unspeakables.

That dream she had of Sirius after Dolohov assaulted her in Brazil made her curious about the true nature of the mysterious veil. And she wondered if it was possible its victims were still alive. Sirius after all appeared quite coherent and aware of what was happening to her.

And she needed to know if it had actually happened or her mind had played tricks on her.

Many days and nights were spent in the alluring Death Chamber, studying the runes and glyphs carved onto the stone pillars and platform. After months of studying everything she could get her hands on about the veil she came to the conclusion that it was a Portal. A Portal to another realm, one existing outside time and space and the fallen victims were trapped in a state of limbo, unable to help themselves. They didn't starve or need water, they didn't sleep or got sick, they simply... existed. If her theory was correct they could communicate through dreams; then the mind was more open and unguarded to outside intrusion.

Magical people were more receptive and could actually talk back to their 'visitors' if they had the proper training. Hermione was never more thankful for her tendency to be an overachiever that led her to study Occlumency in her year long hunting trip with Harry and Ron. Eight months on the run, with nothing better to do... She had plenty of time to study the basics of the Mind Arts.

Her Legilimency was pretty darn good but she didn't start sufficient and proper Occlumency training until she struck a friendship with Draco Malfoy.

Her boss was thrilled with her discovery and assigned her to find a way to get back the lost souls promising a generous bonus and extra vacation time if she succeeded.

Like she needed motivation to do so!

Two years later they managed to retrieve fifty people lost in the veil from many different eras. Amongst them was a deliriously happy Sirius Black.

The last heir of the house of Black took back his fortune which Harry willingly gave and took great pleasure in making everyone nervous when he went out for a casual stroll. The Ministry was forced to pay him a great sum of money, award him a Merlin's Order Second Class and release a public apology for his false incarnation in Azkaban.

Sirius openly supported Kingsley and took his family seat in the Wizengamot in order to assist the new Minister in his quest for a more civilised and accepting society.

Andromeda and little Teddy Lupin moved in with him as the last members of the proud House of Black and he made it exceedingly clear her viewed Hermione as his ward. She had saved his life after all. Twice.

Despite their friends' lewd comments and the press' suppositions Sirius only saw her as the daughter he never had.

Currently Sirius was the permanent DADA professor at Hogwarts; the curse the spot was under since Albus had refused Tom Riddle the position was broken with the original caster's death so Sirius enjoyed a true feast in celebration of his return the second year of his employment.

Having the master of the Black family as your guardian was that extra boost Hermione needed to her career, not that he used his influence but it certainly helped her when she interacted with purebloods who viewed her beneath them.

After her success on the Veil she put on for a transfer; the head Unspeakable wasn't happy but had no other choice.

For the last year she was working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, acting as the Deputy Head much to her co-workers chagrin. Some like Daphne Greengrass had sneered at her and bitingly told her she only got the job because she was good at screwing magical creatures and had high connections.

Ignoring them had the double advantage of pissing them off and making her look more professional in her boss' eyes. She refused to let the likes of Greengrass hurt her with their callus words. Especially when she knew the haughty brunette was just jealous of her. Not only was she rapidly ascending the proverbial steps in her career ladder but she had managed to get her hands on the most eligible bachelor three years running according to Witch Weekly.

Draco Malfoy was a rather decent person after the whole War débâcle. Still acidly sarcastic and arrogant but more mature and thoughtful. And the man was bloody intelligent. She loved debating various topics with him, yearning to know what his thoughts were on some topics and if it differs from hers. They only went in five dates, going as far as snogging shirtless in her living room couch but they called it quits when they admitted it was just plain awkward. They may be intellectually equals but physically... Simply put they lacked the sexual spark to make their relationship work.

That was a year ago. Since then she had tried dating; one tried to force her into having sex with him. She sent him to St Mungo's with a black eye and shrunken genitals. The second one was Draco's close friend Theo Nott. She only agreed to the date because Draco was whining about the lack of love in her life.

Translation: He wanted her to shag because her bitchiness drove him insane. Theo was lovely and all but he was gay. Draco had gone slack jawed for an hour when she snickering told him the news. Theo had no problem with his sexuality; he was seeing a wizard from Italy actually and only went to the date because his boyfriend wanted an autograph from the famous Muggle Born.

Her last relationship which recently ended had lasted four months.

To Harry and Ron's delight it was Oliver Wood, now a famous Keeper and ladies man.

Their break up was amicable thank goodness. Who knew what her two pig-headed friends would do if she told them she dumped a Quidditch star.

For now her job was more important in her life and demanded her complete attention.

In the year she worked for the department she had accomplished only a handful of the changes she wanted. True the house elves' lives were improved but many other creatures were treated horribly and it was allowed to by hunt like common animals.

She was diligently working on revising the laws regarding werewolves; her new bill was affectionately named Moony's Law. It brought tears to Sirius' eyes. Being unable to actually verbalize his sincere thanks he bought her the apartment she was renting and gave it to her as an early birthday present. She would have been upset with his generosity if she didn't know he got Teddy a horse when he said he liked ponies last year.

Hermione was smart enough not to divulge too deeply into laws regarding vampires; when she did, she made sure to have arguments and valid reasons that supported her propositions. Many still remembered her mishap and took pleasure in rubbing it to her face, attempting to sabotage her bills based on 'conflict of interest'. So far none had succeeded.

Unlike what her spiteful co-workers spew behind her back, Hermione was not a workaholic with any life outside of her office. She worked dutifully and religiously but always took an hour long lunch break and enjoyed it with her friends at the cafeteria.

Every Friday they visited the Leaky Cauldron for after work drinks and discussed how was their week and their plans for the weekend.

Her Saturdays were usually spent with her girlfriends out dancing or at home having dinner and watching chick movies.

Every Sunday she had brunch with her parents and went shopping with Ginny and Luna. Many weekends she had retreated to her parents' house at the beach or visited one of the numerous Black estates all over Europe. Sirius had given free range to the whole lot of them; it wasn't like he used them often after all.

All in all she was a normal woman who occasionally got obsessed with her work and couldn't get a lasting boyfriend. It had nothing to do with a certain bronze haired, gold eyed man. No, nothing, zero connection.

Sighing heavily Hermione got into her shower and turned the water to ice cold. After that dream she needed to cool down.

88888

"You look like shite."

"Thanks, I love you too Harry." She sarcastically replied as she walked to her office, Harry opened the door for her since both her hands were occupied. In one she was holding her morning espresso; the other was crossed over her chest to keep a stack of files, while holding a paper bag with her morning bagel. He could already smell the cinnamon.

"Sorry but you do look horrible, Mione. Haven't you slept?"

A deep sigh; she deposited her files on her desk, walked around to sit on her comfortable chair and settled her eyes on her best friend.

"Not really." She admitted as she motioned for him to sit. He did so with a concerned frown. "I had a, uh, bad dream."

No matter how close friends she and Harry were, there was no way in Hell she was going to tell him about her dream.

"Bellatrix?"

"No... Edward."

Silence.

"Is this because of Amos' request? Because I can talk to him, you know. You don't have to do it."

Amos Diggory had asked her for a personal favour last week.

The ICW had decided about two hundred years ago that the various Ministries around the world couldn't spend funds in going after and Obliviating every Muggle who crossed paths with magical creatures/beings all over the globe. So the creatures with intelligence like centaurs, merpeople and vampires had to keep their own kind in check. Of course the Ministries would be in control and decide if the authority should change hands but so far they had no trouble.

Centaurs disliked humans as a principle so they kept to themselves but other humanoid creatures needed to have a form of surveillance.

The most prominent was the vampire species.

For the last three millennia, the most powerful coven carried the burden of protecting their secret and punishing offenders. First were the Romanian Coven, but for the last fifteen hundred years the Volturi, originated from Greece but now based on the small Italian city of Volterra, were considered as the vampiric Royal family and police force.

It was one of the subjects she had talked in depth with Edward and so she was more familiar with their ways and history than the rest of her co-workers.

That was the reason Amos requested she represent their department to the Volturi's celebration for their 15th century in power. She was the most prominent member, being a known war heroine and infamous for her intelligence and her close relationship to Harry Potter and the UK Minister for Magic; so Amos thought the leader of the coven, Aro, would appreciate her attendance more than his own or anyone else he might send.

She was hesitant to accept, knowing her history with Edward might cause a problem but Amos had adamantly denied it. Hermione was cleared of all charges, she had proven she had no conflict of interest, being able to separate her feelings and think based only on logic.

After much grovelling on Amos' part, she had acquiesced.

It was probably going to spectacularly blow up to her face but she knew Amos' arguments were valid and rational.

So Hermione was preparing to leave for Italy in just four short weeks; the day of the extravagant ball Aro was throwing was April's 25th, St Marcus day but she would have to arrive a few days earlier to acclimate herself with the city, properly meet the three ancient vampires and finish all diplomatic encounters before that night.

And she did have plans to enjoy Volterra. Ginny, her mother and Parvati had already asked for a souvenir. Although Parvati's requested gift -a hot Italian man- had to be replaced with a scarf or something. She was pretty sure kidnapping a guy was illegal in all countries, not just UK.

"No, its okay. I'm actually looking forward to my visit." She smiled carefully.

At Harry's inquiring look she rolled her eyes.

"Merlin Harry; Aro, Caius and Marcus are almost three thousand years old! Do you have any idea how much they have seen? They are like living, history books! But more credible because they don't just write what they can verify from different papers and findings; they've _seen _it; they've been there. They a_re_ part of the history and if anyone can provide straight facts, it's them! This is the chance of a lifetime!"

Harry chuckled at her sudden enthusiasm, her previously pale face now flushed with colour, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Now that's the Hermione I know and love."

Standing up he fixed his glasses and flashed a crooked smile.

"Don't let memories of that tosser bother you, love. You are better off without him. You do know that right?"

"Yes Harry. Edward was... He was a mistake. You could say it was the allure of the forbidden. I knew it would never work out, not just because it was against the law but I would never give up my life for something as trivial as immortality. Eternal life sounds boring don't you think?"

"I do. Life is interesting and full of surprises. And the only reason we enjoy it so much, the only reason we can be so happy with seemingly trivial things, is because life is so short. We've got to live every moment of it."

They both remained silent.

"Since when you turned so –philosophical Potter? Should I be worried?"

"Bite me Granger. I can say some wise stuff once in a while! You are not the only smart one!"

"Of course." She scoffed. "And telling Ginny she looked fat last week was a smart thing to do considering she's carrying _your _baby."

"Jesus Christ I didn't say she looked fat! She asked me if she did, I _looked _at her-

"And that's right there is where you went wrong, Sherlock." Her smirk was Malfoy worthy. Draco would be proud. "When a woman asks you -especially if that woman just so happens to carry _your _baby- if she looks fat, you don't look, you answer automatically, reflexively if you want. And there's only one correct answer. NO! Loud, resonated NO! Because trust me on this, you smart arse, she's going to remember it and you'll pay for it in a subtle unexpected and hurtful way some time in the future."

"Remember when Ron told you to write a book about female psychology in fifth year? Maybe you should reconsider your decision not to. Just saying."

"I'm quite busy as it is." She shoo'ed him out with a giggle. "I have no free time to help clueless men like you Mr Potter. As my mum always says, you made your bed, now sleep on it."

"I think I preferred you when you were all moody and miserable. At least then you weren't such a smart arse."

"Ah Harry. You better get used to mood swings. For the nest six months you'll be living with a hormonal, temperamental wife whose mood swings will give you whiplash. God knows how you'll manage to survive."

"Ginny loves me. She'll never harm me."

"Famous last words." She murmured gleefully. "Just make sure my godson is okay. I want a baby to spoil soon Potter!"

"It's a girl."

"Yeah, yeah. Go to your office. I'm sure you have work to do."

88888

**Level 9, Ministry of Magic, London**

"Do you think this is possible Frost? I mean its-

"Far-fetched, unheard of, probably the work of a lunatic yes. But this parchment was found in a chest protected by ancient, archaic and very dark magick. Whoever locked it in there put a lot of thought and energy to assure it remained hidden and safe. It took seven months for the most qualified curse breakers Gringotts had to offer to break through the first layer of protective enchantments, and another seventeen months to finally break the lock. We had specialized linguists and ancient runes experts try to break the codex but so far nothing."

"And what makes you think Granger will be able? She's smart I'll give her that but she's not perfect, no matter how her fans might protest for the opposite."

"As you said Granger is smart. And she's very good at figuring out riddles and connecting the dots with seemingly unconnected clues. Most importantly if something picks her interest, she won't rest until she finds the solution. That's who she is after all."

"But this is little more that a scavenger hunt. We don't know if that cure even exists!"

"And that's why I'm putting Granger in charge of this investigation Alaric! We are not talking about the common flue! We are talking about the real deal! The legendary panakeia of Chiron. The cure for all illnesses. Think about it. If we find it... Lycanthropy, vampirism, cancer, everything! We can save millions of people! And our names will be in the pantheon of the greatest wizards ever lived!"

The grey haired man watched the fanatical glint in his superior's eye. Robert Frost was a man on mission and nothing would stop him from achieving his goal.

Alaric Saltzman hoped Granger would be luckier than her predecessors and actually find something. Merlin knew how many people, magical and mundane this cure would help...

**A/N: **So... Here it is... The prologue. Hope that answered some of the questions you had (only one reader of **When In Rio** actually noticed and commented on how Hermione and Edward had unprotected sex and the consequences of that fact).

I'll start on the next chapter after I update my other stories so be patient.

For updates on the progress of all my stories and snippets of future chapters check my blog.

Also if you have a question but you don't have an account, check my blog. Anonymous reviewers will find the answers to any question they ask there.

Panakeia (pah-nah-kee-ah) is an ancient Greek myth. It was some kind of plant if I recall correctly, that could cure every illness. I haven't read mythology for more than ten years now so my facts might not be accurate but that's okay. The important thing is that panakeia was supposedly real and I use it in this fic.

Any thoughts?

There's a scene borrowed from Friends. Anyone can guess which one?

**OCs:**

**Alaric Saltzman:** As you can see he's named after my favourite Vampire Diaries' character who tragically died in the end of season 3. They only share a name though.

Alaric is in his late sixties, grey haired with brown eyes. He's Hermione's height with a round belly and square glasses. He joined the Department of Mysteries straight after Hogwarts' and worked until two years ago at the Brain Room. Two years ago he got promoted and became the Deputy Head of the Department. During both Wars he and his family fled to his maternal home in Salem, in America due to his statue as Muggle Born.

**Robert Frost:** The Head of the Department of Mysteries in this fic. I did an extensive research but could not find who was the Head of that department. Any clues?

Robert is a tall, dark haired man with black eyes. He's in his mid forties and twice divorcee with two kids, twin girls, away in Beauxbatons currently in their seventh year. Both girls are fans of Harry Potter.

He's a pureblood but acknowledges the fact inbreeding will eventually lead to the magical gene extermination. His second wife was a muggleborn and his first a half blood. He was a member of the first Order of the Phoenix although he opted not to join the second.

He graduated from Hogwarts with six Outstanding and two Exceed Expectations NEWTs. He completed his Healer programme at the top of his class and worked two years at St Mungo's. He was recruited by the previous Head Unspeakable though and was persuaded to join the Department, his love for research a great factor in his decision. Specifically he started at the Ever-Locked Room or most commonly known the Love Chamber, then moved to the Hall of Mysteries. After the end of the Second War he became the Head Unspeakable.


End file.
